Chanting Growers Group

[Forest20]

I cannot see the sun in the daytime or the moon at night. In winter there is deep snow, and in summer the grass grows thick. Because so few people come to see me, the trail is very hard to travel. This year, especially, the snow is so deep that I have no visitors at all. Knowing that my life may end at any time, I put all my trust in the Lotus Sutra.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 779
The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra
Written to the lay nun Konichi in 1276

 

[Payaso]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Greetings to all the chanting growers!

Life is interesting, and sometimes the rerun of an old situation can lead to profound understandings of the first time around, and how to improve that game.

Thanks for sharing your story about chanting DG! That was inspiring and the same thing happens to me... so more focus helps the focus as it were...

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Greetz to Thomas (thanks for all your support and encouragement!!!) and everyone else who chants!

 

[Payaso]

And Easy, forgot to tell you we have a cat and call him Abby (after Abby Hoffman) cause he is a hell-of-a-cat. Ferocious and cuddly. He likes to sit with me while I chant. It calms him down nicely.

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Sure feels good to see the happy posts!

Sure feels good to see the happy posts!

Great posts my friends! I find it so heart warming and interesting that most of us (if not all of us) have or have had pets at some point. Keep appreciating those little babes, as they continue to depend on us each day- is my sincere advice.

Nothing better than coming to this thread and reveling in the goodness I encounter everytime I visit the Chanting Growers Thread.

Mugi Wasshin - from here to infinity and BEYOND!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo
I love the little snippets that you all give of your personal lives. Its the most encouraging of all !!! I love the words from the teachings .... but the little bits of your personal lives that you reveal here add so much inspiration... thanks !!

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Last night I was reading the Gosho: On Repaying Debts of Gratitude A paragraph stood out to me that I wanted to share, especially for the outsiders (non-Chanting Growers) looking in and trying to understand the merit of our Practice.


Just to give you a little background on the basis of this quote (below): the Dharma Teacher Chih-i (aka T'ient'ai) put all the other leaders of the Buddhist Schools during his time in China on the spot and challenged them against their reliance on Fa-Yun's assessment that the Lotus Sutra was the lesser between the Flower Garland Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, and The Lotus Sutra. Not only did the leaders of the other Buddhist schools wish to harm, hurt and kill Chih-i, but Chih-i summarily refuted them and established the dominance by the Lotus Sutra over the two other highly revered doctrines expounded by Shakymuni Buddha. After Chih-i asked these priests: "According to the teachings of the Dharma Teacher Fa-yun the Flower Garland Sutra ranks first, the Nirvana Sutra second, and The Lotus Sutra third. In what Sutra is the proof of this to found?"... Thats when they all (these other priests) shat themselves and sat stupefied because there was no answer other than Chih-i's reply which was (On Page 699):

"This passage makes clear that the other Sutras were the work of spring and summer, while the Nirvana and Lotus Sutras were like a ripening or fruition. But while the Lotus Sutra was like a great fruition in which the harvest is gathered in autumn and stored away for winter, the Nirvana Sutra was like the gleaning of the fallen grain that takes place at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter.

In this passage, the Nirvana Sutra is in effect acknowledging that it is inferior to the Lotus Sutra. And the Lotus Sutra speaks about the sutras that have already been preached, are presently being preached, and are to be preached in the future. By this, the Buddha is indicating that the Lotus Sutra is not only superior to the sutras preached before it as well as those preached at the same time, but is also superior to those he will preach afterward."

Chih-i also said that in the fourteenth volume of the Nirvana Sutra there is "a discussion of merit of the Nirvana Sutra in comparison to the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, but no mention whatsoever of its merit in comparison to The Lotus Sutra"! Even when the comparison is made in the Ninth Volume of the Nirvana Sutra between same and the Lotus Sutra: ".. the prediction had already been made in the Lotus Sutra that the eight thousand voice-hearers would attain Buddhahood, a prediction that was like a great harvest. Thus, the autumn harvest was over and the crop had been stored away for winter (when the Nirvana Sutra was expounded), and there was nothing left for it (but a few gleanings)."(WND I p.698-699)

This thread runs sooo deep I can't even begin to fathom it's profundity!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

From Words of Wisdom, by President Ikeda, on "Strength". www.ikedaquotes.org.

The human spirit is the strongest force there is. As long as our spirit remains unbroken, there is no defeat. In life, spiritual defeat always precedes actual defeat. Guard against laziness, cowardice, carelessness, impatience, resignation and despair which corrode the human spirit and sow the seeds of defeat.

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Urgent Daimoku Request

Urgent Daimoku Request

Please dedicate some diamoku to my brother (from another mother) Sonny. The federales grabbed him and he's facing some serious drama. He's come to meetings and his bestfriend is a fortune baby that chants with me. I've been encouraging him to receive his Gohonzon, when we get him back I'll double and triple my efforts to protect him and help him start chanting.

Thanks in advance, I got your back too!!!

 

[Payaso]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...sorry to hear that Easy. Hang in there, we will be chanting for you and your family!

Chanting daily and thankful I am still walking and breathing and able to do it!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Wilson!]

critters

critters

we got critters.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/album.php?albumid=18928

Enjoying abundant diamoku before our new treasure tower.

And Dan the Man will be in Wilson!ville soon. He's swinging by before heading to cali then to Hawaii. There, he claims, he will leap into the volcano. I wonder if he understands the value of going head 1st?lol.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

No matter what happens, always try to move forwards! (The Daishonin demonstrates fortitude and unwavering commitment when he says,) "But still I am not discouraged"* This never give up attitude of endurance and tenacity is in itself, the true spirit of a Buddhist!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho, The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood - WND-1, page 748, "Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, 'Good advice grates on the ear.' But still I am not discouraged."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"...if in a single moment of life we exhaust the pains and trials of millions of kalpas, then instant after instant there will arise in us the three Buddha bodies with which we are eternally endowed. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is just such a "diligent" practice."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 790, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 214) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 27th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'If they complain of hunger, tell them about the sufferings of the world of hungry spirits. If they grumble that they are cold, tell them of the eight cold hells. If they say they are frightened, explain to them that a pheasant sighted by a hawk, or a mouse stalked by a cat, is as desperate as they are' (WND-1, 998).

"When people feel isolated and think they're the only ones suffering, they may succumb to self-pity and weakness. But there are always those who have it worse off than us and yet are still making an effort. When we realise this, we feel courage. And by looking down on our own sufferings from a higher plane, we can grow into people who can even encourage our friends who are also struggling. It is in times of adversity that we really rouse courageous faith, cut the cycle of suffering in our lives, and open a broader, more elevated life-state."

SGI Newsletter No. 8001, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 23: Chap. 3, Courage 12, translated May 25th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Just thinking that something is impossible or that you can't do it is the greatest cause of failure, because when you do that you impose limitations on yourself."

SGI Newsletter No. 8001, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 23: Chap. 3, Courage 11, translated May 25th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 26th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

For my dear friend KA! What she's talking about!

For my dear friend KA! What she's talking about!

(each time one reads this, one holds onto a little more)

The Nine Consciousnesses

The Buddhist teaching of the nine consciousnesses offers the basis for a comprehensive understanding of who we are, our true identity. It also helps explain how Buddhism sees the eternal continuity of our lives over cycles of birth and death. This perspective on the human being is the fruit of thousands of years of intense introspective investigation into the nature of consciousness. Historically, it is grounded in efforts to experience and explain the essence of Shakyamuni's enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree some 2,500 years ago.

The nine consciousnesses can be thought of as different layers of consciousness which are constantly operating together to create our lives. The Sanskrit word vijnāna, which is translated as consciousness, includes a wide range of activities, including sensation, cognition and conscious thought. The first five of these consciousnesses are the familiar senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth consciousness is the function that integrates and processes the various sensory data to form an overall picture or thought, identifying what it is that our five senses are communicating to us. It is primarily with these six functions of life that we perform our daily activities.

Below this level of consciousness is the seventh consciousness. Unlike those layers of consciousness that are directed toward the outer world, the seventh consciousness is directed toward our inner life and is largely independent of sensory input. The seventh consciousness is the basis for our sense of individual identity; attachment to a self distinct to and separate from others has its basis in this consciousness, as does our sense of right and wrong.

Below the seventh consciousness, Buddhism elucidates a deeper layer, the eighth or ālaya consciousness, also known as the never-perishing or storehouse consciousness. It is here that the energy of our karma resides. Whereas the first seven consciousnesses disappear on death, the eighth consciousness persists through the cycles of active life and the latency of death. It can be thought of as the life-flow that supports the activities of the other consciousnesses. The experiences described by those who have undergone clinical death and been revived could be said to be occurrences at the borderline of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses.

An understanding of these levels of consciousness and the interaction between them can offer valuable insights into the nature of life and the self, as well as pointing to the resolution of the fundamental problems that humanity confronts.

According to Buddhist teachings, there are specific deep-seated delusions in the seventh consciousness regarding the nature of self. These delusions arise from the relationship between the seventh and eighth levels of consciousness and manifest as fundamental egotism.

Buddhist teachings describe the seventh layer as emerging from the eighth consciousness: it is always focused on the eighth consciousness of the individual, which it perceives as something fixed, unique and isolated from other things. In reality, the eighth consciousness is in a state of continual flux. At this level our lives constantly interact, exerting a profound influence on each other. The perception of a fixed and isolated self that the seventh consciousness generates is thus false.

The seventh consciousness is also the seat of the fear of death. Being unable to perceive the true nature of the eighth consciousness as an enduring flow of life energy, it imagines that upon death, the eighth consciousness will become permanently extinct. Fear of death thus has roots in the deep layers of the subconscious.

The delusion that the eighth consciousness is one's true self is also termed fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of one's self as separate and isolated from others that gives rise to discrimination, to destructive arrogance and unbridled acquisitiveness. Humanity's ravaging of the natural environment is another obvious result.

A Karmic River

Buddhism posits that our thoughts, words and deeds invariably create an imprint in the deep layers of the eighth consciousness. This is what Buddhists refer to as karma. The eighth consciousness is therefore sometimes referred to as the karmic storehouse--the place where these karmic seeds are stored. These seeds or latent energy can be either positive or negative; the eighth consciousness remains neutral and equally receptive to either type of karmic imprinting. The energy becomes manifest when conditions are ripe. Positive latent causes can become manifest as both positive effects in one's life and as positive psychological functions such as trust, nonviolence, self-control, compassion and wisdom. Negative latent causes can manifest as various forms of delusion and destructive behavior and give rise to suffering for ourselves and others.

While the image of a storehouse is helpful, a truer image may be that of a raging torrent of karmic energy. This energy is constantly moving through and shaping our lives and experience. Our resultant thoughts and actions are then fed back into this karmic flow. The quality of the karmic flow is what makes each of us distinct beings--our unique selves. The flow of energy is constantly changing, but, like a river, it maintains an identity and consistency even through successive cycles of life and death. It is this aspect of fluidity, this lack of fixity, that opens the possibility to transforming the content of the eighth consciousness. This is why karma, properly understood, is different from an unchanging or unavoidable destiny.

The question, therefore, is how we increase the balance of positive karma. This is the basis for various forms of Buddhist practice that seek to imprint positive causes in our lives. When caught up in a cycle of negative cause and effect, however, it is difficult to avoid making further negative causes, and it is here that we turn to the most fundamental layer of consciousness, the ninth or amala consciousness.

This can be thought of as the life of the cosmos itself; it is also referred to as the fundamentally pure consciousness. Unstained by the workings of karma, this consciousness represents our true, eternal self. The revolutionary aspect of Nichiren Buddhism is that it seeks to directly bring forth the energy of this consciousness--the enlightened nature of the Buddha--thus purifying the other, more superficial layers of consciousness. The great power of the ninth consciousness welling forth changes even entrenched patterns of negative karma in the eighth consciousness. Because the eighth consciousness transcends the boundaries of the individual, merging with the latent energy of one's family, one's ethnic group, and also with that of animals and plants, a positive change in this karmic energy becomes a "cogwheel" for change in the lives of others. As SGI President Ikeda writes, "When we activate this fundamentally pure consciousness, the energy of all life's good and evil karma is directed toward value creation; and the mind or consciousness...of humankind is infused with the life current of compassion and wisdom." Nichiren identified the practice of chanting the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the basic means for activating the ninth consciousness in our lives.

As the layers of consciousness are transformed, they each give rise to unique forms of wisdom. The wisdom inherent in the eighth consciousness allows us to perceive ourselves, our experience and other phenomena with perfect clarity and to profoundly appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. As the deep-rooted delusions of the seventh consciousness are transformed, an individual is enabled to overcome the fear of death, as well as the aggression and violence that spring from this fear. A wisdom arises which enables us to perceive the fundamental equality of all living beings and to deal with them on an unchanging basis of respect. It is this type of transformation and wisdom that is sorely required in our world today.

[Courtesy April 2004 SGI Quarterly]

ALL!!!

Bowing in humble obeisance,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realised this truth. The sutra's statement, 'Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,' cannot be false in any way."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, April 10, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A genuine spirit of concern for all people means we will uphold a philosophy of respect for others and battle negative functions that cause people suffering, while refusing to condone violence or oppression that threatens human dignity or equality. If we see the spread of thinking that justifies using human life as a means to an end or that divides and discriminates against people, then we must vigorously denounce the misguided teachings or ideas that form the spiritual soil for such thought. It is a battle against the fundamental darkness or ignorance that plunges people's lives into suffering and misery. This is the essence of the 'battle between the provisional teachings and the true teaching,' and the crux of the shakubuku spirit in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.

"In essence, this means firmly believing in the Buddha nature of oneself and others, and therefore respecting all people. The heart of shakubuku is a spirit of compassion. And because the practice of shakubuku also involves resolutely battling the devilish nature or fundamental darkness that derides human dignity, it also constitutes a fearless spirit of refutation in which compassion gives rise to courage.

"We of the SGI have been able to carry out interfaith and intercivilisational dialogue due to our commitment to humanism, which is guided by the compassionate spirit to speak out against evils that trample on human dignity and people's fundamental rights. Because of this, it is possible for us to join together with other religions and philosophies that share the common values of respect for human beings and the dignity of life in what Mr. Makiguchi termed 'humanistic competition' channelled towards eradicating human misery and suffering. Indeed, it is an indispensable requirement of religion in the 21st century to denounce all abuses of human dignity."

SGI Newsletter No. 7973*, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [14] 'On Practising the Buddha's Teachings'--Part 2 [of 3] The Compassionate Practice of Shakubuku, from the February 2010 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated April 5th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

There is no treasure in life that is more valuable than friendship. Today and everyday, with courage and in high spirits, let's actively engage in dialogue with others. Let's open new doors to new friendships!


Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage."

(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 997) Selection source: Living Buddhism", Seikyo Shimbun, April 11th, 2010